To ask why Universal Credit is so terrible? (Not goady)

[evilharpy]

I've seen several threads (one today about food banks which I can't seem to find now) where people have had some strong things to say about Universal Credit and the feeling seems to be that it is contributing to the poverty problem and forcing people to rely on food banks and causing more problems than it's helping with.

I'm wondering what exactly makes it so terrible and why it's so much worse than what came before it. Google hasn't been much help as most of the results are just official links on how to apply for it etc. But it seems to be that it's paid monthly rather than weekly or fortnightly and there's a long wait to get it?

I would just like to understand a bit more about it. And I don't mean this to be in any way insensitive or goady.

The thing that really gets me about the move to UC is that there is no way the problems in moving onto the system weren't anticipated. This seems to me to be part of a trend that I first observed when working about 20 years ago. I used to deal with a different part of government - so not DWP - and spent quite a lot of time discussing the impact of implementing changes/new legislation etc. Initially, when changes were likely to cause a problem, civil servants would go away and take care to iron them out. Then with minor issues they started to say that the problems were not enough to worry about. Then with bigger issues they started to say that they would let duff legislation " bed down" before making changes. So now we end up with a clearly foreseeable fiasco of poorly trained officials giving duff advice, no means of holding them to account and, as one PP noted upthread, officials telling people that the process would take as long as it takes. It doesn't say much for the supposedly rigorous selection process for recruiting civil service mandarins does it.... (puts on hard hat and waits for civil servants on mumsnet to come back and blame it all on the (admittedly culpable) government)

I have a disabled friend whose husband is also disabled. They have suddenly had their various benefits stopped ( £1300) and been told t hey now have to go over to uc. They had not applied before because of taking the advice from C.A.B. that by going into uc they would receive less. As their area has now fully gone over to uc and other benefits have stopped they are currently on emergency loan ( to be paid back ) before the uc kicks in. The difference between their usual various benefits and uc is £500 a month less. Ok, I can hear lots of people poo pooing people who long term claim benefits but to suddenly be down that amount per month is quite a big change in your incoming s. These people have no way of working in any way to supplement what they get.

Well it takes at least 6 weeks for it to come through. Leaving people potentially penniless. Not everyone has family who can or are even willing to rally around.
For those on HB they have to actually pay the money to their housing association themselves out of their monthly payment. This could cause a huge problem for those with addictions and they could spend all the money on a fix. Now remember these people are ill and vulnerable and so you can't Blame at their door.
Its all very well pushing people in severe poverty to force them into work but There are people out there who will never be able to work, plus these 'phantom jobs have got to be there'
There are even people having to give up work as they can't afford the childcare and the government won't subside them.

My situation is this I work so does my partner and we’re entitled to £0 and we are entitled to £71 a month our child care for nursery is £1200 for 2 children and £340 a term for after school club for my eldest I earn £1300 UC said I have to pay for child care out of my own wage so that’s basically my hole wage just for nursery so now how is my partner supposed to afford full rent council tax his bills my bills , daily living, debts and after school club and food shopping long side nappies ect from his £2000 a month he can’t and we’re left with £0 I said am I expected to work just so kids can go nursery and have none of my own hard rent money left for myself they said yep basically. So now I don’t know what to do I’m very stressed and I’ve to pay £1200 child care this month and £70 a week after school club from September what am I going to do.

I would be better off if I claimed single ide be entitled to help with child care and I could work and have money left for my own bills and a little something for my self it’s nit fair I was getting child tax and working tax befor and it stopped and was told go universal credit now look I’m entitled to £0 the kids arnt entitled to anything and I m entitled to £71 child care I’m so stressed

@hannah1992 you say “My friend is a sahm. Because her child is 2 once he turns 3 they will make her look for work as her son is entitled to 30 hours of free nursery a week. So in effect they are saying you can’t stay at home.”

I don’t really see what’s unfair about this. If you can afford to stay at home to look after your children then fine, stay at home. If you can’t afford to stay at home (i.e. you can only do it by claiming benefits) then why should you? If there’s nothing stopping you from going to work and you are entitled to free childcare then why should my taxes be used to fund you to stay at home?